


Traditions

by embuffalo



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Family Issues, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 01:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2795330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embuffalo/pseuds/embuffalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jenny Flint's first Christmas with Madame Vastra is rather unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Traditions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the cutest engie ever](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=the+cutest+engie+ever).



> Many thanks to TheRangress for beta'ing.

On the first Christmas that Jenny Flint spent under the employment of Madame Vastra, she was dismissed from her duties in the morning, after Jenny had prepared breakfast and helped her employer dress.

“I believe I shall be able to attend to my own needs for today,” the older woman told Jenny. “I doubt that you would like to spend the day locked up with your employer, so you may take your holiday. I hope you enjoy the day with your friends and family. I merely request that you return to me late tonight or early tomorrow morning, preferably alive and sober.” Vastra waved a hand. “Now, go and be merry.”

Jenny dipped a curtsy. “Thank you, mum. I do appreciate it.”

Despite her words, she kept her gaze on the floor as she left the room, and she did not have a smile on her face as she went to pack up presents to take to her friends and family.

* * *

 Jenny’s family kicked her out when she was seventeen, though in slightly gentler terms. By then she was old enough to find work and support herself, so she left with her belongings and headed out into the city. She stayed the night with a friend and then walked around London over the next few days, searching for employment as a maid or nanny. The eldest of her parents’ seven offspring, Jenny had plenty of experience cooking, cleaning, and looking after children.

Jenny worked different jobs over the next several years, keeping them for about six months to a year apiece. In between private employment, Jenny worked at clubs and restaurants, and once in a small school. When her employers did not provide lodging for her, Jenny stayed with friends in their rooms or houses.

A few months before Christmas was when Jenny found Madame Vastra—or when Vastra found her, Jenny wasn’t entirely sure. When she applied for the position, the salary that Vastra offered was enough to make Jenny take the job, at least at first.

After a few weeks, she stayed on because she enjoyed the work. Jenny still sometimes jumped when she walked in on the woman practicing her sword work or drinking a dark red liquid that Jenny was quite sure wasn’t wine. However, the house was small and clean, the pay was good, and Jenny felt comfortable with her mistress.

* * *

 Jenny spent most of Christmas with her friends, the other young maids and manservants that she had liked well enough to continue to see over the past few years. Their group of about a dozen went around the working-class neighborhoods, caroling, talking, and drinking. The liquor was cheap, and the food was not rich, but Jenny enjoyed herself.

After Jenny hugged her friends goodbye in the early evening, as twilight was beginning to fall and boys came out to light the streetlamps, Jenny shoved her mittened hands into her pockets. She trudged through the slush that lay on the streets for about a mile or so to her parents’ house.

When she reached her parents’ house, Jenny rapped on the door and one of her aunts opened it.

“Oh, it’s you,” said her aunt, face hard. “Come in, girl.”

Jenny followed her aunt inside and the adults in the room turned to look at her. She forced a smile. Jenny crossed the room and placed the presents under the unadorned tree in one corner. She then took a seat on the edge of the room.

Jenny shrunk farther into her coat and the quiet conversation resumed.

* * *

 After a supper of roast hen, potatoes, and a sparse amount of gravy to cover the mealy texture, the Flints unwrapped presents. As the children opened their gifts, they made noises of delight and went to kiss their relatives.

The children were thrilled by the toys that Jenny had bought them, but the tension between the adults made the young ones wary of their cousin. She accepted their tentative affection, wrapping them in her arms as much as they would let her, trying to convey to them that they too could escape their current life.

Only one package beneath the tree was marked with Jenny’s name. One of the children brought it over to her. She gently removed the paper wrapping, folded it and placed it on the table to be used another year.

Inside the covering was a folded piece of linen. She lifted it up and saw carefully stitched embroidery. It was a table runner, presumably for her otherwise sparse trousseau. Her whole family had probably chipped in to purchase and sew it for her.

After Jenny had carefully refolded the runner, she stood. There was nothing more she could say to her relatives that wouldn’t spoil the Christmas spirit, and she wanted the night to be as pleasant as possible. She gave her family stiff embraces, kissing her grandparents’ cheeks. Bundling herself into her coat, and tucking her gift into a pocket, she was about to see herself out when she felt a tug on her skirts. One of her young cousins was hugging her leg. Jenny removed the girl’s hands from her leg and squatted to hug the child. “You are wonderful,” she whispered.

Jenny unwound the soft wool scarf she wore and placed it about the child’s shoulders. The little girl grinned in delight, and hugged Jenny again. Jenny smiled sadly, and exited the house.

* * *

 On the walk home, Jenny tried to tell herself that she was fine, that there was nothing wrong, nothing wrong with her, nothing out of the ordinary about her family. Plenty of other families had fights and trouble, and holiday meals could be painful affairs; it wasn’t just the Flint family.

 _But_ , she guilted herself, _I don’t know of any other families where the cause of trouble is their defective daughter. Well, except for Mary Price’s._ Jenny half-smiled at the thought. She and the other girl had exchanged several clinging kisses (and perhaps a little more than that) before their families discovered them and Mary had been sent to America.

Jenny tried to reason with herself, that she did not need to depend on her family. She had a good job, one that paid and fed well, and wasn’t that difficult. The lady was strange, that much could not be denied. Madame Vastra claimed to be some kind of dinosaur, and the job did involve a fair amount of running about the city, but Jenny was happy and she earned a decent living. She didn’t know why the lizard woman enjoyed sitting down with her some afternoons, to ask Jenny to read aloud to her, or just to have a cup of tea and talk. However, Jenny Flint was discovering that she liked the older woman’s company more and more.

After the walk back to Madame Vastra’s flat (which Jenny had begun to think of as “home”—her parents’ house was certainly not that, and she wasn’t entirely sure what other place she could call her own), Jenny went round to the back.

She took the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the servants’ door. She walked up the stairs to her room. Jenny laid her coat on her bed and placed her wet boots beneath her cot.

After putting on indoor shoes, Jenny headed back down the stairs to check on Madame Vastra. Moving on quiet servant’s feet, Jenny looked through the first and second floors and found her mistress in the library. Vastra was in an armchair, reading one of her old leather books. A fire was crackling on the hearth.

Smiling to herself, Jenny turned to go back to her own quarters, and accidentally stepped on a creaky floorboard. She glanced back at her employer.

Vastra was smiling at her.

Jenny blushed. “Sorry, mum. I’ll just be going, then.”

“Jenny, it’s alright. You may come in, if you wish. I was just reading.”

“I wouldn’t want to disturb you, mum.”

“You shan’t be.”

Jenny smiled but shook her head. “I should be getting to bed anyways.”

Vastra paused and set down her book, then gazed harder at Jenny. “Aren’t you home rather early? It’s barely ten o’clock. Don’t humans often stay up till midnight or later? Attending mass or whatever it is called?”

“Yes, mum. My family attends Christmas services as well, but I left early.” Bobbing another curtsy, Jenny left the room. She went to the kitchen, where she put the kettle on. As her tea brewed, Jenny fetched a shawl from her room and took up a seat by the fire.

After having her tea and the end of a loaf of bread, Jenny was very close to sleep. She dozed off, warmed by the stove.

* * *

 Jenny awoke later to the sound of the servants’ bell. She scrambled up and straightened her hair, tossing her shawl onto her seat. Hurrying through the dark house, Jenny found Madame Vastra in the orchid room, where a week before Jenny had assisted her with decorating a Christmas tree.

Blinking in the candlelight, Jenny saw the clock read a little after one. She had slept by the fire for nearly three hours. Her cheeks reddened. Had Madame Vastra been up all this time? Had the older woman been waiting for Jenny to help her get ready for bed? Why had she called Jenny here?

Jenny’s voice trembled slightly as she asked, “What can I do for you, mum? May I fetch you something to drink?”

“No, I don’t believe that will be necessary, Jenny.” Vastra smiled. It was the second time in the past day that she had used the girl’s name and she liked the way it sounded. “As you can see, it is past one o’clock in the morning on December 26th.”

“Yes, mum.”

“I believe that the 26th of December is known as Boxing Day in this country.”

“Yes, mum.”

“And on Boxing Day, employers traditionally give their servants presents, or boxes, which is why it is called Boxing Day.”

“Yes, mum.”

“Well, Jenny, you are my servant.”

“Yes, mum.”

“I would like to give you a present.”

Jenny flushed and fumbled for words. “Yes—I mean, no, mum. I couldn’t accept it—I’m sure it’d be much too grand for me. I couldn’t, mum. I couldn’t.”

“Perhaps you would like to see it before you make a final decision.” Madame Vastra smiled and reached for the long package that was lying on the table. It was elegantly wrapped with a dark green velvet ribbon.

Jenny took it, hands shaking, and avoided Vastra’s eyes, which was rather difficult as the other woman was trying to watch Jenny’s reaction. She unwrapped the package. Inside were two long, beautiful swords.

Jenny’s face turned even redder. “Ma’am, I can’t, I just can’t accept these. It’s really too much. I wouldn’t know what do with them anyways.” She fumbled with the box and tried to set it down, but the box tumbled to the floor.

“What if I offered to teach you?” Vastra suggested.

Jenny looked up at her. “I still couldn’t mum, I would feel all wrong.”

“Then, perhaps,” Vastra said. “I shall have to give you another gift. Kindly look above your head,” she instructed as she moved close to Jenny.

Jenny looked up. There was a familiar look to the leaves and waxy white berries that were hung from a thread above her. “I believe this is another tradition,” Vastra murmured, as she leaned down and kissed Jenny.

Jenny turned bright red and fled from the room.


End file.
